Altered Story
by Illuviar
Summary: This is a time travel story. After Konoha is destroyed by Madara during the Fourth Shinobi war, Kyuubi grants a second chance to two tortured souls. This is a Female Naruto/Sasuke story.
1. Prologue&Chapter 1, parts 1&2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This story is written with no profit in mind. I make no money from it.**

* * *

**Altered Story**

**Prologue: Shattered Dream**

**=AS=**

* * *

**The last day of the Fourth Shinobi War**

**Konoha**

"_Troublesome blonds..." grumbled Nara Shikamaru. Konoha's Jonin Commander coughed a glob of blood from his ruined lungs and laid still. He died frowning at the cooling corpses of two of his best friends, one of whom was the Sixth Hokage of Konoha._

_Shika's passing remained unnoticed by a black haired man. _

_Uchiha Sasuke had eyes for only one person. A crop of shot hair, bearing the color of thousand cherry blossoms framed her face. Blood stains marred her beautiful features, which were forever frozen in a sad smile. She had died trying to protect the woman he loved. The woman at whom he couldn't bare to look._

_What a fool he had been. Only now, when she was gone, and he had lost everything, Sasuke understood. He admitted it to himself._

_He loved her._

_A furious daemon roared, breaking his vigil. Cold fury engulfed his entire being. Sasuke snapped his head to the right, where the Nine Tailed Fox was facing off with Uchiha Madara. Naruto's last act as she laid dying next to two of her best friends was to release the beast she had contained for her entire life. _

_Yet, it wasn't going to be enough. Kyuubi, the mightiest of the Buju, stood no chance against the cursed eyes wielded by Sasuke's ancestor._

_Around them, Konoha laid in ruins, destroyed for the second time. Tens of thousands of cooling corpses were strewn around the burned out husks of buildings, and this time there was no Nagato to bring them back._

_This was the final act of the Fourth Shinobi war. A war that was already lost before it truly began. For Obito was no fool. He didn't kick off the conflict before it was too late to stop him. Even now, when that traitor was death, Madara, who once again lived, had taken his place._

_All the Allied Shinobi Nations could do was slow the inevitable. They all fell, one after another, crushed by waves of clones or the unleashed might of multiple tailed beasts._

_Konoha was the last to fall, and with it died the remains of the Allied army. _

_Sasuke could feel it all around him. Death. _

_There were only few still living, critically wounded men and women, who were expiring in quick succession. _

_Soon only three would remain. Two Uchihas and the Kyuubi. _

_The Demon Fox roared in fury, shattering the husks of immolated buildings all around what used to be Sasuke's home. His eyes narrowed, exploding in a star burst pattern. His eternal Sharingan fell upon Madara, who was glaring at the fox. _

_It won't be long. Even the Kyuubi couldn't resist the power of those cursed eyes._

_Sasuke moved, leaving after image in his stead. His sword left its sheath with a hiss. The chirping of thousand birds could be heard as the former Konoha genin channeled a Chidori in his blade. _

_Sasuke struck the architect of his downfall like a lighting, almost catching him off guard. _

_Madara parried the strike with a kunai buzzing with Electrical Chakra. Despite that, the blow threw him away, sending him tumbling through the half demolished rubble of an apartment building. _

_For a moment Sasuke stood still. He turned his head to the left, looking Kyuubi in the eyes. _

_Madara's retaliation strike, a wave of burning, half-melted kunai, went unanswered._

"_Tsukyuomi!" whispered Sasuke._

_He found himself on a familiar corpse filled field. The world of his Genjutsu had only one significant difference. A pissed off, nine tailed fox was glaring at him. The demon was smiling at Sasuke with tooth filled grin. Each of those razor sharp teeth were larger than the middle aged man._

"_Uchiha!" roared Kyuubi. The monstrous beast was ready to pounce._

"_Oh, cut the theatrics, fuzzball," snapped Sasuke._

_The orange Buju huffed in indignation._

"_It's your fault!" rumbled the fox. "You and that blonde idiot!" Kyuubi grumbled._

"_Indeed," confirmed the Uchiha. For a moment his features contorted in fury when the damn Buju insulted the woman he loved._

_Then he smirked. A look of melancholy passed through his face._

"_I need your help," stated Sasuke._

"_My help, little traitor?" Kyuubi sniffed in derision._

_Sasuke answer was a knowing smirk._

"_We are finished. I am almost out of Chakra, and you won't be able to resist his eyes for much longer."_

_If he expected the Kyuubi to roar and froth at the mouth in denial, Sasuke would have been sorely disappointed. Instead, the fox only glared at him._

"_Damn Uchiha's," grumbled Kurama._

* * *

**=AS=**

**Training ground 44 "The Forest of Death"**

**Konoha**

Sakura stood frozen by waves of unreal Killer Intent. She helplessly watched as Sasuke and Naruto faced that Kusa freak to no avail. He, or was it a she?! That monster was toying with them!

She shuddered in revulsion when the enemy's tongue lashed out, becoming a long thick rope made of muscle, which caught Naruto and slammed him in the trunk of nearby tree. Then that freak pulled up the blonde girl's jumper and slammed his fingers in her gut.

"Sasuke! Hurry! Do something!" Sakura shrieked in desperation.

At that moment everything changed.

A tendril of crimson Chakra exploded from Naruto. It was a bubbling tentacle of pure evil, which twisted around for a second or two, surprising the Kusa nin, before it shot straight at Sasuke.

A flash of light, with the color of blood. A thunderclap echoing through Konoha and beyond.

Sasuke screamed like a damned soul in the depths of hell.

* * *

**=AS=**

**Chapter 1: Second Chances**

**Part 1**

"**The Forest of Death", Konoha**

* * *

The child that was Uchiha Sasuke screamed as he was absorbed by his much older, future counterpart. It was a single moment of unbearable agony, that lasted eternity.

His eyes snapped shut, then reopened, revealing the lazy spinning commas of the Sharingan. His gaze met Naruto's, and he saw the influence of the Kyuubi draining out of her. The crimson bled out of the blonde's eyes, leaving behind two stunning azure orbs, which were huge with shock.

Orochimary's hand lazily ransacked Naruto's pouch and came back holding their Haven scroll. Then he threw the girl away as if she was a useless piece of garbage.

A primal grow emanated from Sasuke's throat a split second before he blurred, appearing in front of Naruto. The Uchiha caught her a moment before her unresposnsive body hit a nearby tree.

"Not this time. Never again!" he growled too low to be heard.

Sasuke made a one handed sign and two Shadow Clones appeared next to him. He gently handled Naruto to one of them and nodded towards Sakura. The second one looked at the pinkete and disappeared, only to appear behind her and grab her before vanishing again.

The Uchiha smirked when Orochimaru frowned at him. The pair of clones were getting Sasuke's teammates away, to safety, leaving him to face the Sannin without a worry in the world.

He stretched, reinforcing his younger body with Chakra. While his younger self was physically neither as strong nor fast as he used to be, Sasuke was far from helpless. The damn snake wanted to test him, see how much he had advanced, before giving him that accursed seal. That was something he was going to use to his advantage. Besides, if he wasn't mistaken, the proctors should know that something was wrong. After all, Orochimaru had boasted once on twice about how he had toyed with his former apprentice, Anko, after giving him the seal. So she should be somewhere nearby.

After everything that had happened in the future, one thing that Sasuke had finally learned, was that he didn't have to do everything alone. Too bad that he learned that lesson too late.

Sasuke shot from the three trunk on which he was standing, heading straight at the Sannin. While in mid air, he threw a spread of six kunai at the man that would have been his master.

Orochimaru evaded the weapons easily and met the Uchiha with a grin. They clashed in a short bout of taijutsu. The short engagement served only as a confirmation to the snake summoner, that Sasuke's abilities were above average.

The Sannin disengaged, moving around the Uchiha too fast to see. Or so he thought. He wanted to see how perceptive the boy's eyes were, as well as test his speed.

Just as he had done in another time-line.

Sasuke was ready for it. He let it play just like the last time. For few moments at any rate.

The time traveler jumped away from a kick strong enough to shatter bones and sent a stream of fire at the older man. The Katon Jutsu, which had an impressive power for something used by a thirteen years old boy, was not enough to even faze the old snake.

Orochimaru halted the inferno before it could actually reach him and submerged into the massive tree branch on which they were standing. He dashed at his prey through the tree itself, leaving behind a trail of splinters and shattered bark.

Sasuke smirked. A Thousand birds chirped in the forest, which had been silenced by their battle. The sannin, who was about to attack his future body from below, had one moment of stunned realization, before a lighting encased hand plunged through the tree branch, straight in his chest. It shattered his breastbone, ruptured both his lungs and finally its fingers severed his spine. All the while, the lightning was frying him from within.

Then the Sannin's corpse exploded, covering Sasuke in chunks of steaming mud.

"I knew it couldn't be that easy," The Uchiha muttered to himself. After all, this was a hale Orochimaru, not the broken, handless man he had killed in his time.

Sasuke substituted with a nearby broken branch, avoiding a spread of kunai, which rained on his former position.

A madly smiling Sannin appeared in front of him and engaged him using taijutsu.

"You've grown, Sasuke-kun!" giggled the snake. "This is incredible! You already know the Chidori! You'll make a great vessel!" Orochimaru almost moaned in anticipation.

"Dream on, freak!" hissed Sasuke.

He jumped backwards, gaining a second of reprieve. His hands blurred, busy making signs and two clones popped into existence at his flanks. The three of them lasted no time in attacking the mad scientist.

Sasuke smirked, when Orochimaru' send a kick his way. He let the blow land and throw him away. The old snake's eyes widened. The missing nin was already committed, striking the clones to dispel them.

The Sannin almost got away. If he was facing clones made by a thirteen years old, he would have. Instead, one of the doppelgangers managed to grab him before Orochimaru substituted with a log. Then it exploded the moment both of them appeared in the crown of a nearby tree.

The scorched, smoking body of the Sannin was falling to the ground. He was missing his left hand, and the ribs on that side of his chest were a shattered wreck, piercing his organs. That however, was far from enough for Sasuke. He sent a spear of lighting at Orochimaru, nailing him to the trunk of nearby tree.

The snake master screamed as his body ignited from within.

Sasuke summoned another spear of electricity, ready to nail the Sannin when he shed his skin.

Long, pale fingers grasped Orochimaru's jaws from within and wrenched them open. He slithered out of the ruined corpse and stared at the Uchiha with fascinated look in his eyes.

The second lighting spear never arrived.

Sasuke was on his knees, gasping for air. He had overestimated how much Chakra his young body could handle.

"Such mastery over the Sharingan and lighting! At such a young age! You are simply magnificent, Sasuke-kun!" Orocimaru's words sent shivers of disgust down the Uchiha's spine. "You are a true Uchiha after all. Almost as good as your brother was at that age. If anything, your eyes are keener than his. Oh, yes. You'll do nicely."

Sasuke bit off a curse. He needed few more moments to gather his strength.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?" he shouted, feinting ignorance.

He paid no attention to the snake's monologue. Sasuke was too busy considering and disregarding plans. He was low on Chakra and unless he was able to rest soon, his body was going to give up on him.

Sasuke almost smirked. Despite all, he was going to get one more opening. The damn pedophile was about to give him that bloody hickey.

Orochimaru made a two handed sign and his neck extended, rocketing straight at Sasuke. The Uchiha's right hand darted in his kunai pouch, retrieving a blade. A moment before the Sannin's teeth could sink in his skin, Sasuke stabbed the lower jaw of his attacker. A kunai sparkling with lighting Chakra pierced the snake's brain, releasing its charge into it.

Sasuke fell, panting. His muscles were shuddering due the strain he put them through. His Chakra network was flooded, ready to burst, yet his reserves were almost depleted.

While Sasuke was laying helpless on the tree branch, Orochimaru shed his skin for a second time. Now, he glared at the Uchiha. The kid almost got him the second time. If he wasn't paying close attention to the boy after his surprising display of advanced abilities, the Sannin could have gotten himself killed. By a kunai, no less.

Orochimaru was torn between amusement and fury. His snake like eyes tried to bore holes in Sasuke. At that rate, the boy might one day surpass his brother. He needed to have his body before that happened.

The snake Sannin had no intention of facing a second Itachi. The first was bad enough.

Orochimaru was about to try marking the boy again, when he looked to his right, and smiled.

"Anko. It's been a while."

The expression never reached his eyes. Konoha's ANBU were unlikely to be far behind his former apprentice, and the two "rebirths" forced by Sasuke, had taken their toll on his Chakra reserves.

"So, you are after the Uchiha."

"Hn," muttered the said man.

"It will be fitting that I'll be the one that will take you down, Orochimaru. S-class missing nin of Konoha. After all, you are the one who taught me everything, right Sensei?" Anko sneered at her former teacher.

Sasuke found himself grateful for the crazy Kunochi's intervention. At the very least she would buy him a bit of time.

While master and apprentice were locked in a mortal combat, the Uchiha forced a trembling hand in one of the pouches he was carrying. He pulled out a couple of soldier's pills and swallowed them, grunting with the effort he had to exert for even such a small action.

Sasuke returned his attention to the battle, only to find that Anko had her former master pinned to a tree. Her left hand was nailed to Orochimary's right, and she held his other one, making the sign for... Was that a double suicide jutsu?

"Crazy snake lady..." he mumbled.

He already was feeling the medicine's effect. His Chakra levels were steadily rising and the cramps locking his muscles were receding. In few hours he would pay for the way he was abusing his body, but by then, one way or another this battle would be long over.

Orochimaru appeared behind the Kunochi, raising from the bark of a tree branch. A look of horror passed over her face when she understood that her former mentor had substituted with a mud clone.

She tore out the kunai nailing her hand to the tree trunk and whirled around, sending it straight between Orocimaru's eyes. He easily caught the bloody weapon and leered at the woman.

A one handed hand-sign later, Anko was on her knees, writhing in pain.

Sasuke grimaced. The freak had activated her cursed seal. That thing bloody hurt.

"Ah, that little mark. I'm going to give it to this young man, over there..." Orochimaru pointed at the Uchiha's location.

"Sound's like you want him badly," Anko sneered. Her eyes looked for the boy and she frowned. There was no one there.

"Oh, you aren't jealous, are you, little snake? Are you afraid that I'm going to trow you away for..." another lighting spear interrupted his words. It demolished the part of the tree branch where he was standing. Only a hasty substitution saved Orochimaru from dying for the third time that day.

Sasuke appeared in front of the kneeling Kunochi, with kunai in each hand. He threw the weapons at the older man, who simply twisted, so they passed around him.

Instant later, Orochimaru's eyes widened, when he saw the ninja wire attached to the kunai. In the next moment, a torrent of liquid fire leaked over the twin wires, heading straight at him.

"Excellent, Sasuke-kun!" exclaimed the Sannin. He simply had to have that boy!

"Sorry, I'm not swinging that way," Sasuke deadpanned.

Behind him, despite the agony wracking her body, Anko giggled.

"I like you, gaki," whispered the Kunochi.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. That was all he needed, the snake mistress of Konoha finding him interesting and going after him.

Orochimaru looked to the right and grimaced. He could sense multiple powerful Chakra signatures, which were fast approaching. ANBU. They would be here shortly, and he wasn't confided that he would be able to mark the Uchiha before they got here.

"Well, I'll have to give you my gift another day, Sasuke-kun. Tell Sarutobi that if he stops or interferes in the exams I'll burn Konoha to the ground."

With those parting words, Orochimaru disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Bloody freak!" muttered Sasuke. The bastard got away.

At least he wasn't forced to reveal his trump cards this early in the game. Besides, he would have another chance to take out Orochimaru during the invasion in a month time.

Sasuke glanced at the Kunochi, who tried to stand up but fell back to her knees with a groan.

"I'm going after my team. The ANBU should be here any minute." b

"Nonsense, brat! You'll wait for the ANBU right here and we are getting you away from the Forest of Death! We can't risk Orochimaru getting his slimy hands on you!"

He Shunshinned away, without saying anything else, leaving behind a confused Anko.

* * *

**=AS=**

**Part 2**

**A Cave in the "Forest of Death"**

**Konoha**

Sasuke's clones deposited an exhausted Sakura on the cool ground next to unconscious Naruto. The pink haired girl had been questioning the pair of doppelganger during their hours long run, however, the only answer she god was an irritated grunt, the typical "Hn.", or a thoughtful frown.

When they reached their destination, the clones carefully placed the girls on the ground. One of them started checking them for injuries, while the other jumped out and began surveying the area for the best places to start laying traps.

That was not to be. A concentrated blast of air blew him in a nearby three. The clone hit it and dispelled. The reason for that was simple. First, as a Shadow Clone, it had only part of it's original's abilities, which were also diminished as a result of the time travel. To make things worse, the clone hadn't really considered how badly the fact that he was in a kid's body would affect him.

His original was able to mostly get around the problem by overloading himself with Chakra, but that was not an option for the copy.

"Keep Naruto-chan safe, Sakura," ordered the second clone, before disappearing from sight.

* * *

**=AS=**

**The "Forest of Death"**

**Konoha**

Sasuke stumbled in his run, barely avoiding an inconveniently placed tree. He received the memories of one of his clones, which had been attacked by Dosu. Those three Sound Shinobi weren't supposed to attack Team 7 for at least a day, damn it all!

He channeled even more Chakra in his legs and sprinted forward.

Kilometers from his location, Sasuke's second clone, was playing hide and seek with the enemies. It was all the doppelganger could do, to keep them away from the cave. It knew that it's only chance was to stall for time, for Sakura as she was, would be unable to protect Naruto from a whole enemy team. Even worse, there wasn't even time to set up traps.

A deadly dance was played between the trees. Four trained killers were maneuvering for advantage, in a game where even the tiniest mistake could mean the difference between life and death.

The clone appeared for a fraction of the second, threw a kunai, then melted back in the dense foliage. So far, it's adversaries were able to avoid each attack. It was almost enough to distract the Sound ninja.

"Kin, go take care of the girls. We'll hold him off!" ordered Zaku.

Said Kunochi huffed in displeasure, but followed the order and disappeared in a swirl of distorted air.

"God damn it all!" growled the clone.

The remaining pair of enemy shinobi were moving in loose formation, just close enough to be in mutual support range of their ranged attacks, but not close enough to be taken out with a single Jutsu. The clone might be able to take out one of them, but the other would dispel him.

It was locked up in this game of cat and mouse, leaving Sakura alone.

* * *

**=AS=**

Kin smiled confidently when she saw her targets. A pink haired girl was crouched in front of an unconscious blonde. Both looked worse to wear. The Sound Kunochi could see fear and desperation in the eyes of the awake enemy. This was going to be easy.

She sneaked close to the cave's entrance and wove a genjutsu, sending it at the Kunochi wanable who had a pink hair of all things! To her surprise, the girl fell for it all too easy.

The black haired ninja sauntered calmly to her targets and with a deftly grabbed Sakura's right hand, twisting it behind her back. The confused Konoha genin screamed in pain and dropped the kunai she was gripping for dear life. Kin kicked it out of her first victim's reach and grabbed the girl for her long hair. She pulled Sakura's head back, exposing her throat.

Kin drew a kunai from her belt and prepared to slit her target's throat. In her excitement, she never sensed the girl behind her stir.

* * *

**=AS=**

Usually experience is something very useful. It could be decisive in combat. However, in few rare cases, it could be your undoing.

Take Sasuke's clone for example. It "knew" its abilities. It had decades of experience to back up almost unnatural amount of skill.

In the end, that was what spelled its failure.

In the heat of combat, it saw it's enemies making a mistake. Then, before it could consciously make a decision, it acted on a combination of training, instinct and experience.

Zaku had broken the line of sight between himself and his partner, making them vulnerable. In that moment, the clone sprang into motion. It threw itself at the Sound nin, moving too fast to be countered. Zaku felt something and tried to move out-of-the-way, however it was futile. A kunai slammed in his right shoulder, nailing him to the stem of a nearby tree.

The Sound Shinobi tried to raise his left hand for an attack, but he simply wasn't fast enough.

The last thing Zaku saw was the glint of a sun ray on the blade of a kunai. The weapon pierced his left eye and slammed into his brain, killing him on the spot.

That part of the clone's attack went flawlessly.

Then, just as it was killing its target, the world exploded in a wave of screeching sound. The clone screamed as resonating sound waves shredded its corporeal form.

* * *

**=AS=**

**Naruto's Mindscape**

A thirteen years old girl found herself in a sewer. She was standing in a cool, dark water, which was lazily splashing around her ankles.

Naruto looked around. She was within a corridor, shrouded by shadows. Rusty pipes were crisscrossing all over the walls and low ceiling. The genin felt strange. Naruto knew that she had never seen that place before, much less been here, yet it felt strangely familiar. Almost comforting.

She reluctantly strode forward, hoping to find an answer at the end of the tunnel.

She walked for what felt like hours, perhaps longer. One dark, wet corridor after another. Few times she had to backtrack, when she found dead ends, which appeared to have been sealed recently. She only shrugged at that and continued exploring this labyrinth. It wasn't like Naruto had anything better to do anyway.

She had lost her battle against that creepy freak and found herself in this, whatever this was.

Finally, the bored girl reached a long sewer tunnel, which had a bright light at its end. It took her minutes to emerge on the other side.

What Naruto saw there, took her breath away.

She was on the threshold of a vast expanse. The walls and ceiling all around her were covered by twisting pipes. Obviously, all she saw within the sewers led to this place.

However, that was a bit of trivia that was shoved at the back of her mind, going mostly unnoticed by the girl. Instead, she was staring at the center of a murky cave, which was barely lit up by torches hanging on its walls.

What took her breath away, was a wooden cell, which was huge beyond belief. It was a construct made by massive timber beams, which was placed in the middle of a small lake.

When she stopped staring and snapped shut her hanging jaw, Naruto took another look around. This time she noticed a middle aged woman. The stranger had her face hidden by bangs of long blond hair, which was identical in color to Naruto's own.

The woman was sitting in the water. She was leaning on one of the wooden beams making up the cell and hugging her knees to her chest.

Reluctantly, Naruto walked into the cave and headed towards the woman. As she approached, she could hear sobs and muttering.

"My fault..."

"I couldn't protect them..."

"**Don't be foolish, kit," **rumbled a monstrous voice.

Naruto froze in her tracks. Something shifted withing the darkness cloaking the insides of the cell. Then it appeared that a window opened withing the shadows and a single, giant eye blinked at her. In its center, Naruto could see an iris that was made of the deepest crimson she had ever seen.

"**Hmm... That's unexpected. We have company, kit. Look up." **

The woman raised her head, and two deep azure pools looked back at Naruto. The strange female gasped and was mirrored by the genin.

For Naruto, it was like looking at a strange, twisted mirror. This woman was like an older version of herself, down to the whisker marks!

"What did you do, Kurama?" snapped the woman. The accusation was clear in her tone.

"**Gave us a second chance, kit. Though we have a little snag." **

The woman grimaced and tilted her head to the left, studying Naruto. Then she beamed at the girl.

"You look a bit worse to wear, Naruto-chan. Come here, please. And don't mind him!" she pointed at the cell. "Kurama is a big softie once, he stops pretending to be this big bad demon."

"**Don't push it, kit! I'm not in the mood for your usual sarcasm," **grumbled the said demon fox.

Naruto frowned.

"What's happening here?!" she explained.

No one who really knew her, could accuse her of being an especially patient girl.

"We are having a friendly chat. Besides that, it's for Kurama to explain. All this mess is his fault."

"**Ungrateful mortals. I save you, and this is how you replay me?" **rumbled the nine tailed fox. **"Fine, then! I'm going to take a nap. Figure it out yourself." **

"Hey! None of that!" the woman jumped on her feet almost faster than Naruto's eyes could follow. "Kurama! You're being mean!" whined the woman.

A rumbling chuckle shook the cave.

"**Those puppy eyes don't work on me, kit. "**

Naruto growled. She believed that was her mind. Right? So, what were those two doing here?!

"Someone explain to me what is happening! Now!" she shouted.

A pair of huge eyes, who were too old for the woman's apparent age, and a single crimson orb turned towards Naruto and fixed her with a critical stare.

"**Ah. I might have brought us back a bit earlier than I intended..." **mumbled the fox. **"How old are you, kit? Twelve?"**

Naruto glared fiercely at the strongest of the Buju.

"I'm thirteen damn it!" she grumbled.

"What were you doing before you came here?" asked the woman.

Her voice was gentle, yet firm. It held a core of steel, which demanded to be obeyed. It reminded Naruto for the few times when the Old man had been really serious. She gulped and answered, almost on reflex.

"It was during the Chunin Exam! That Kusa freak attacked us! Sasuke and Sakura just froze, the bastards! I had to handle him myself, but he was only toying with me," she grumbled. "He hit me in the gut! It really hurt and then I ended up in this damn sewer!"

"Orochimaru..." muttered the woman. "It's not the best place to end up, but it's far from the worst."

"**It's actually a great part of the time-line kit. What are we going to do with her?" **asked Kurama and pointed a single, massive claw at Naruto, who went pale and took a step back.

The woman, who was wearing a battered ANBU style outfit, pursed her lips and walked towards her much younger counterpart. When she came near the girl, she knelt and smiled gently.

"Come, here Naruto-chan. It will be all right." she extended a hand towards the girl, who frowned at the gesture. "You already know who I am, don't you?"

Naruto frowned. Yeah. She knew. Somehow. She just had trouble believing it.

"You are me. But how?!"

"Thank the fuzzball over there."

"**Hey! I'm the mightiest of the Buju's! Not some kind of stuffed animal!" **grumbled the fox.

'This girl, no, woman, who had managed to earn his respect, could be so irritating at times. Mortals!' thought Kurama.

"Did I become Hokage?!" Naruto was eager to hear the answer, even if this was a figment of her imagination.

"Yes, we did, gaki. We did," the woman gave her a sad smile.

"Yay me!" Naruto started bouncing, splashing stale water all around her. She had done it!

The woman, this older Naruto stood up and came closer. She placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder and leaned forward, until they were face to face.

"I'm sorry for this kid. I hope it works."

Naruto froze at those words. The woman leaned even closer, until their foreheads touched.

Naruto's world exploded in a kaleidoscope of light. Blurred images flashed in front of her eyes. Too fast to follow. There were sounds, scents. Feeling of a gentle touch upon her skin. Tearing pain. Cold and hod. Bliss. Agony beyond belief.

Decades of memories and experiences were dumped within her mind in the span of a second. She screamed and blacked out.

The woman caught her body and gave her a hug. The older Naruto picked up her younger self and brought her to the cage, where he placed her on the ground, so she could lean up to a post from which hanged a paper seal.

"Take care of her, Kurama," said the older Naruto.

The great fox looked with sadness at the woman who had gained his respect. She was fading. Her body was becoming transparent, while the mind projection of the younger Naruto was visibly aging, growing.

"**I will kit," **Kurama's voice was almost gentle. If one knew him well enough, the sadness in it would have been apparent.

The woman who was the Sixth Hokage of Konoha gave a wan smile to her old friend and looked at the unconscious girl.

"May your story turn better than mine child. May you never lose as much as I did!" with those words, her body vanished from the mindscape.

The soul of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the last Hokage of Konoha and supreme commander of the Allied Shinobi Nations, merged with that of her younger self.

In his cage, Kurama let out a single, piercing howl filled with pain and regret.

Sometimes being an immortal concentration of Chakra sucked.


	2. Chapter 1 Part 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This story is written with no profit in mind. I make no money from it.**

* * *

**Altered Story**

**Chapter 1: Second Chances**

**=AS=**

**Part 3**

* * *

**The Forest of Death**

**Konoha**

When his second Shadow Clone was destroyed, Sasuke grunted in displeasure. He was moving too damn slow. He drew on his Chakra reserves, molding the energy in his whole body, while concentrating most of it on his feet. He took a deep breath and Body Flickered away.

The technique would allow him to get to Naruto and Sakura in time, however it taxed his battered body to its limits. Perhaps it went even beyond them.

As exhausted as he was, Sasuke should have slammed in a tree soon after beginning his mad rush. Only thanks to his Sharingan eyes, he was able to barely avoid the various obstacles on his way. Tree branches, bushes too thick to pass through without further harming himself, even few oversized predators, which called the forest their home... They all flashed by him, creating the optical illusion that the world itself was moving around Sasuke while he stayed still.

Even at the breakneck speed he was rushing to help his teammates, the Uchiha needed few minutes to reach them. By the time he appeared on the small clearing in front of the cave where his clones left Naruto and Sakura, the situation had changed.

* * *

**=AS=**

Behind Kin, the blonde haired girl was stirring. Two hooded azure orbs snapped open and calmly examined their surroundings.

Naruto's eyes focused on the Sound Kunochi, who was ready to deliver a mortal blow to Sakura. Her hands moved faster than a genin should be able to and two kunai flew at Kin's back.

Orochimaru's subordinate acted on instinct. She didn't have time to process the fact that she was attacked, before she moved, warned by information her mind was unable to finish processing. She threw her body to the right, just in time. She almost made it unscratched too. One kunai missed her, flying harmlessly in the forest. The second merely grazed her left hand, leaving a thin red line.

Kin hissed in surprise while rolling to cushion her fall and threw her weapon at the new threat.

Naruto had used the time bought by her surprise attack to jump on her feet. She found out that she was dizzy and weak. Further, the Jinchuriki sensed that now, that she was out of her mindscape, she no longer could connect with the fox. That, and the fact that her Chakra control was shot to hell, served as a confirmation of her situation.

The memories she had gained from her older self, the one she just merged with, appeared to be correct. She was back in the Forest of Death, during the Chunin exams. And Orochimaru, that damn monster had placed a five signed seal on her, messing up her Chakra control.

So they were being attacked by the damn Sound team. Again.

However, Sasuke was nowhere in sight. She only hoped that this time he didn't receive the never sufficiently accursed Heaven's seal, which had been a big part in the Uchiha's downfall.

A kunai ended the small trip down memory lane. It flew straight at her face.

Naruto channeled some Chakra through her coils, enhancing her reflexes, and plucked the weapon from mid-flight. It was an awkward action, which almost failed, letting the blade strike her.

'Damn! I'm in a worse shape than I thought! And to think that I expected to become Hokage as I am right now...' she almost started giggling at the naivety she had at this age. She would deal with the idiot Uchiha later. The immediate threats came first.

Naruto frowned. She was cut off from Kurama, with fucked up Chakra control, and to make everything even funnier, her speed and strength were far lower from what her mind expected them to be.

She glanced at her body and winced. It was a bit malnourished and much smaller than her latest memories led her to believe.

She was thirteen again.

A damn teenager, just entering puberty.

"Fuck my life," grumbled Naruto.

She had no more time to ponder her situation, because Kin was already on her feet. The Sound nin had a kunai in each hand and charged Naruto, forcing her to defend herself.

The blonde drew a kunai and dashed forward, ready to meet the Sound Kunochi.

Kin never reached Naruto. Sakura had regained her composure and flanked their opponent, sending a sweeping kick her way.

The Sound Kunochi, was focused on her intended prey, suffering of a tunnel vision. She sensed the attack too late and the pinkete's right leg slammed in her side, sending her flying away from the leaf nins.

Kin gasped, feeling her ribs cracking. Sakura had caught her at just the wrong angle, because otherwise such a weak kick wouldn't have been so effective.

She struck the ground, hard, and rolled away, trying to gain some distance from her opponents. By doing that, she caught a lucky break.

Her surviving bastard of a teammate had come to the "rescue", sending a blast of concentrated sound-waves in the small cave. Kin was barely able to roll out-of-the-way, when the attack struck the pair of Konoha Kunochi, throwing them to the ground in quivering heaps.

Dosu sent another sound blast into the cave, ensuring that the Leaf Kunochi would be incapacitated. He was well aware of how much damage to the inner ear could be caused by even a grazing hit from one of his attacks, and those girls took two direct strikes. Kin was almost caught in his assault, but managed to get out of the cave just in time.

"Where is the damn Uchiha?" he wondered aloud.

One of the bastard's Shadow Clones had killed Zaku, so he wasn't about to underestimate Sasuke. He didn't fancy dying, but he liked returning to Orochimaru without accomplishing his mission even less.

Dosu shuddered. There were much worse things than death.

"Kin, take one as bait and kill the spare. Let's see if the Uchiha cares for his teammates."

The Sound Kunochi smirked. The pink bitch, who busted her ribs was going to die.

She grabbed a kunai and darted into the cave.

Kin's eyes widened comically. The blonde girl had turned her way and Naruto had her hand raised, so her palm was pointing at the cave's entrance.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" whispered the Jinchuriki.

An overpowered wall of wind slammed into Kin and threw her away. She was barely able to reinforce her body with Chakra, so she wouldn't die when hitting something. Nevertheless, the unexpected attack did a lot of damage. Her cracked ribs broke, piercing her right lung. Her left hand struck a tree at the wrong angle, shattering her elbow.

When she finally landed, after bouncing few times off the ground, Kin felt like one giant bruise. She moaned quietly and decided that laying still was a very good idea.

"What did I ever do to be saddled with such cretins as subordinates?!" Dosu exclaimed to the heavens.

He sneered at the Kunochi who took out Kin and pointed at her with his right hand. The blonde menace collapsed to her knees, obviously exhausted, yet she didn't stop glaring daggers at him.

"Third time is the charm," he grinned.

* * *

**=AS=**

"Kabuto-kun..." hissed Orochimaru.

The medical-nin blanched. He knew that tone. It was reserved for those of his master's henchmen who fucked up by the numbers.

"Master?" despite the apprehension the spy felt, his voice was level, betraying none of the fear he coiling in his gut.

"Your reports about Sasuke-kun's skills. They were incomplete..." the Sannin stalked around his agent. There was a disturbing smile on his face.

"In what way, Orochimaru-sama?" asked Kabuto.

"He was much more skilled that you gave him credit for. High Chunin to low Jonin level of combat ability. He knew Lighting Jutsu I haven't seen before as well as Kakashi's Chidori..." the Snake Master trailed off.

He licked his lips with a tongue too long and nimble to belong to a human being. His smile turned into a hungry grin.

"I was unable to mark the boy," Orochimaru frowned. It wasn't often that he was denied his prize. "I want him tested further. The three idiots we sent for that purpose would be insufficient," The Sannin fixed his agent with a glare. "You will take part in the final part of the exam. I'll make sure that you'll face him."

"As you command, Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto gave a deep bow to his master and both of them melted in the forest.

* * *

**=AS=**

"That hurt, you bastard!" shouted Dosu.

One moment he was about to finish the Leaf girls and in the next, he found himself impacting a nearby three. He shook his head to clear it and looked around.

Yep. The fucking Uchiha had appeared. The boy had his back turned to him and was looking into the cave, where his banged up teammates laid.

"You are going to pay for this," said Sasuke.

Dosu smirked at that declaration, then frowned. This wasn't the boastful threat of an overconfident Genin. It was a simple statement of a fact.

"Such an arrogance!" Dosu sneered with confidence he didn't really feel. There was something off about the Uchiha.

Before the Sound Shinobi could act, Sasuke turned around and fixed him in place with a baleful glare from two crimson eyes. The boy vanished and Dosu was slammed into the same three again. He doubled over, gasping for breath. The pain and shock caused by a single, punishing hit to the solar plexus incapacitated him for few moments.

Before Orochimaru's agent could even begin to recover, he was hit, again and again. If he had enough air in his lungs, he would have been screaming for everyone in the Forest of Death to hear.

Each strike Sasuke delivered, was a crippling blow. He shattered the man's joints one after another, before knocking him out.

When the threat was neutralized, Sasuke created a Shadow Clone.

"Bind up this idiot and go secure his teammate if she's still alive. The T&amp;I department would love to have a chat with those two, before they are allowed to die," he ordered and went to the cave, anxious to check on the girls.

Sasuke saw Naruto's condition and frowned. The fuzzball should have healed her.

"You just can't keep out of trouble, can you, Naruto?" he voiced his exasperation.

"You are one to talk, Ducky..." the blonde smirked and winced with the effort of speaking.

Sasuke gave her a sad smile.

"You never did like my hairstyle," he chuckled quietly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Nonsense. Once you got rid of that duck but, it was kind of nice." This time it was Naruto's turn to smirk.

Sasuke's eyes widened at those words. He had changed hid hairstyle years after he killed Orochimaru! There was no way Naruto knew of that!

"Yeah. About that..." the blonde muttered drowsily. "You made a deal with the furball... That was a dumb thing to do..." she drifted out, leaving Sasuke to stare at her incredulously.

* * *

**=AS=**

**Eight Hours later**

**Chunin Exam Tower**

**Forest of Death**

**Konoha**

Two Shadow Clones, carrying unconscious girls landed near the tower. Moments later, they were joined by a pissed off Uchiha, who looked a bit worse to wear.

He retrieved a pair of scrolls from his belt and ripped them open.

A poof of smoke later, Umino Iruka was standing before him. The Chunin took one look at the trio and Sasuke's clones and waved him to follow.

"There are medic-nins waiting inside. What happened?" asked their former teacher.

"It's a long story, sensei. I need to speak with the Hokage. We met Orochimaru."

"Hokage-sama is waiting for you," said a cool female voice.

Four ANBU phased into existence around Iruka and his former students.

Sasuke shrugged. It was inevitable meeting, especially with Naruto knocked out.

"Lead the way."

The woman who spoke, a purple haired Kunochi, nodded and placed her left hand on his shoulder, before Body Flickering them away. Seconds later, they reached a room in the tower reserved for the Hokage's use.

On the inside, it was similar to Sarutobi's office in the Hokage tower.

"Hokage-sama," Sasuke gave a respectful bow to the old man.

He felt a bit uneasy at seeing dead men walking, or in this case, sitting behind a desk heavy with paperwork.

"Sasuke-kun. Anko-san informed me that you met my former student during the exam." Hiruzen frowned. "And you refused a direct order to withdrawn from the competition."

"By the time she gave that order, my teammates were taken away by a pair of my Shadow Clones. I wasn't going to leave them alone in the damn forest while they were incapacitated. Those who break the rules are trash. Those who betray their comrades are lower than trash," Sasuke quoted the first thing Kakashi taught team seven.

It was too bad, that it took him so long to take those words to heart. At least now he had a chance to redeem himself.

Sarutobi's reaction was unexpected. The old man actually smiled.

"That's unexpected, Sasuke-kun." the Professor's wise eyes pierced the "last Uchiha".

The boy shrugged.

"Let's just say that one... troublesome blond girl opened my eyes, Hokage-sama."

"Yes, Naruto-chan has a knack for that. But enough idle chat. I need to know what happened in the forest."

"Well, it goes like this..." Sasuke started recounting his experiences since starting the second exam. It was a good thing that the Hokage wasn't particularly interested in the events before Orochimaru appeared. Those were mostly a blur in his mind.

"ANBU, go check if those Sound nin are still alive," ordered Hiruzen, a moment after Sasuke informed him that he had left a pair of captives in the cave where the Sound trio had attacked his teammates. "You should have started with that," the old man chided him.

"Hai, Hokage-Sama!" answered one of the black ops soldiers before vanishing with a Body Flicker.

"I apologize, Hokage-Sama," said Sasuke.

It was a slip up. Whether it was the fatigue or the fact that he was in thirteen years old body and that affected his mind too, he wasn't sure. Another problem for later...

"So, how did you get a second scroll?"

"That is an interesting story..."


	3. Chapter 1 Part 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This story is made with no profit in mind. I make no money from it.**

**AN: I'm looking for beta readers.**

**Altered Story**

**Chapter 1: Second Chances**

**=AS=**

**Part 4**

**Chunin Exam Tower  
The "Forest of Death"  
Konoha**

Sasuke slumped on the floor next to the first aid station, where medic nins were tending to Naruto and Sakura. The docs were still dealing with the Kunochi's injuries, when his interview with the Hokage ended. He was well aware that the Old Man was suspicious of him, mainly because Anko had seen him use moves he shouldn't know or be able to pull off. The flimsy excuse about Uchiha Ninjutsu scrolls worked to somewhat appease the Hokage, though Sasuke knew that he would be watched closely for the foreseeable future. Though that was a given, with Orochimaru being after him. Which in turn would make whatever plans he had about changing the future somewhat more difficult.

Nevertheless, right then and there, changing the fate of the Elemental Nations wasn't particularly high up on his agenda.

She was here. Just beyond a thin stone wall. Not the insufferable blonde he remembered from his teenage years. Oh, no. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the Sixth Hokage of Konoha. His Naruto.

She was here. The woman he finally admitted to love had come back with him. Somehow.

On the other hand, once she was back on her feet, Naruto was liable to pumpel him into the ground...

Sasuke's mushings were interrupted by the approach of a familiar Chakra signature. A swirl of air and leaves later, Kakashi was standing to the Uchiha's right. The Jonin was nonchalantly leaning upon the stone wall while reading his favorite smut. And to think that Naruto had continued writing the Icha-Icha series after the Toad Sannin's demise... making her Kakashi's favorite student ever...

Sasuke shook his head.

"Sensei. It's nice of you to drop by," he gave a cross look to his teacher. "I hope that we didn't cut into your reading time, being wounded and all..." the Uchiha deadpanned in a dry tone.

"Maa, maa, Sasuke-kun. It's nothing. I always have time for my adorable little genin!"

"Uhuh. Riiight, Sensei..." Sasuke snorted. 'Pull the other one,' he thought. His onyx eyes narrowed at Kakashi. "This isn't a social call, is it?"

Hatake snapped shut his book and fixed the genin with his single uncovered eye. "Going by Anko's account and ANBU's preliminary investigation, you fought against Orochimaru himself. An S-Class missing nin of Konoha. And you came damn close to killing the bloody snake."

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. He knew that those questions were coming, either from the Hokage himself, his Sensei or the T&amp;I folks. Perhaps by all of them together.

"I did train the three of you. You are good for a genin. Almost exceptional..." the Jonin trailed off. "Compared to someone like Orochimaru, that's nothing. Yet..."

"Be careful what you wish to know Sensei. We are in a Shinobi country after all. Who knows who is listening..." Sasuke smirked and looked Kakashi in the eyes. The Uchiha's irises morphed, becoming a spinning kaleidoscope. "My story isn't for just anyone to hear. When the preliminary matches are over and we are back at the village, I'll tell you and the Hokage the truth."

Kakashi studied his student for long seconds, before giving him a curt nod. "This isn't either the time or place for a sensitive conversation, Sasuke-kun."

"That should be obvious even to a bunch of green behind the ears genin!" Sasuke snorted.

Their brief conversation came to an abrupt end when the Trauma Center's door opened and a Medic Nin came out. The woman glanced at the pair and spoke. "The girls will make complete recovery in few days. Their main problems are related to Chakra exhaustion for the Uzumaki and few moderate wounds for the Harunto girl. We were able to fix the damage to their ears from whatever happened to the genin. You should be able to visit them shortly," the medic spoke in a calm and reassuring voice, one she had used hundreds of times on patients comrades and relatives.

"Good to know," Kakashi muttered.

"Indeed."

**=AS=**

**Two Days later  
Chunin Exam Tower  
The "Forest of Death"  
Konoha**

Naruto stirred with a quiet moan. Her eyes snapped open and she used her ability to sense Chakra to find out who was around her, while she was busy untangling herself from the hospital bedding and the intravenous system put into her left hand. The first person she felt was Sakura, or at least her subdued and so much weaker signature that it wasn't funny. For a split second, the Sixth Hokage thought that her friend was somewhere far away, but then her mind started truly awaking and with that came all her memories. Both sets of them.

She also felt a load of familiar and unfamiliar Chakra signatures, many of people who had died during the years. Yet, in this time and place they were still up and kicking.

Naruto grinned impishly. She owed one to those magnificent bastards Sasuke and Kurama for pulling out that stunt. She painfully remembered her final battle in that previous life, when almost everyone precious to her was already dead or about to be murdered by Madara. She knew that even her final act of releasing Kurama wouldn't be enough to stop the ancient madman. Neither Sasuke, exhausted as he was, could hope to face his ancestor and triumph.

As for Konoha, it was a ruined, burning shell of its former glory, with streets strewn with corpses.

Naruto growled fiercely. 'That future won't come to pass again. I will stop them, crush the bastards utterly! Obito, Akatsuki, Orochimaru and that bastard Kabuto! Every last one of Konoha's enemies!' she vowed to herself.

"So you are finally awake..." a familiar voice whispered from a darkened corner of the room.

Naruto, who had been able to untangle herself and stood up, turned that way, falling down into a defensive stance that was a second nature to her. A figure, which was a bit taller than herself melted out of the shadows, revealing a much, much younger Sasuke. While the Uchiha was carrying his trademark smirk, she could clearly see the relief in his eyes.

Sasuke released the tight leash he held upon his Chakra, letting a bit of its soothing presence to wash over Naruto. She sighed a bit relieved. Somehow, having a piece back from a future that no longer was, brought her a measure of relief. She gazed at her friend and occasional enemy, and gave him a smirk of her own.

He was wearing a dark blue blouse and pants and she could bet he had his clan's symbol on his back. If it wasn't for the fact that right now Sasuke was in his eleven year's old body, she would have called him handsome.

"We need to talk," Naruto said.

"After the exams. I told Kakashi that I would tell him and the Hokage the truth. After I faced the Snake prick in the Forest, they are more than curious about my current abilities."

"And I spent most of the time knocked out by the damn seal," she frowned. "You are aware that this room is certain to be monitored by ANBU surveillance team, right?"

"Naturally. Anything less would be idiotic!" he glanced at the ceiling, where a masked shinobi was concealed, suppressing her Chakra almost as good as Sasuke had been doing. "Right, Cat?" he asked, smirking at the covert operative.

The purple haired Kunochi grumbled at being found out by genin of all people, and dropped from the ceiling, landing with the grace of her mask's namesake.

"Kakashi and the boss would learn what they want to know in the Hokage tower, when this part of the exam is over. I won't be splitting the beans at unsecured location."

Those words got him a withering glare. "Cheeky brat," muttered the woman before vanishing in a swirl of leaves.

Sasuke rolled his eyes while Naruto chuckled at their antics.

"Five more minutes, mum..." grumbled Sakura, choosing that moment to start awakening.

Naruto glanced at the bed at the other end of the room and gave a fond smile to the blanked covered bundle that was one of her best friends.

"Raise and shine, Sakura!" the Uzumaki exclaimed in a sing-song voice.

The pink haired girl's head snapped up and she glared at he blond friend. "Naruto! What are you doing here!?" she grumbled.

"We had an encounter with Orochimaru and few of his subordinates. You two ended up in the infirmary," Sasuke laid out the bare-bones facts of the situation in a bored tone.

For a moment, a blinding smile lit up Sakura's face. It was obvious, that the fangirl in her won the day for a moment, before her expression fell. She looked at the floor. "I was useless!" she hissed.

"You were slacking in your physical training since the accademy. Train, become better. We'll help," Sasuke spoke with a matter of fact voice, for once none of his usual superiority leaked through.

"That's right, Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, showing a hint of her youthful exuberance.

"That's all and good my troublesome Genin, but it's time to raise and shine. The next part of the Exam start's in half an hour," Kakashi informed them in a bored tone from behind his book.

Sasuke glared at his sensei. Was he emulating the Nara's on purpose? He shook his head in disappointment. It was the damned Icha-Icha. Almost everything was troublesome for the man if it cut into his reading time.

Then a whisper of a smile tugged Sasuke's lips. "We'll let you change in peace," he looked pointedly at Kakashi. "And I will make sure to keep the pervert away from you."

The Jonin stiffened. He sniffed theatrically. "No respect whatsoever. Who are you taking me for, Sasuke-kun? Jiraya-sama?"

"Nonsense. You are only a pervert. That old toad is a leech in a league of his own."

**=AS=**

**Arena  
Chunin Exam Tower  
The "Forest of Death"  
Konoha**

They made it on time. Despite what the Uchiha might have thought as a kid, when they wanted, both Sakura and Naruto could get dressed and outfitted with their shinobi gear reasonably fast. Even at this tender age.

Once Team Seven were in the middle of the arena along with the rest of the surviving genin participating in the exam, Sasuke looked around. Somehow the place looked much bigger, yet smaller than he remembered. Sasuke thought that the reason for that was his current position – all too close to the ground thanks to his young body. He disregarded the Hokage's speech about the true purpose of the exams. He had heard it before, more than once. Instead, Sasuke looked over the opposition. It was no surprise that he recognized almost none of the other participants. After all it had been a loooong time since this event. At least for him and Naruto.

In the end, there were four persons that could be deemed dangerous. The sand maniac, who still might become one of Naruto's best friends. Naturally, the Uchiha himself and the impossible blonde he loved... and that bastard Kabuto who was wearing an infuriating smirk.

"...Kabuto versus Uchiha Sasuke!" Hayate declared amidst a coughing fir. "The rest of you, move to the stands."

The clan heir's train of thoughts was rudely derailed by those simple words. If he had had any ridiculous notion that the matches weren't rigged, it flew out of the window. Sasuke looked at the white haired youth, who was smiling at him. Kabuto didn't look like he had any intention of forfeiting. A vicious smile crept on Sasuke's face. Suddenly he didn't feel like holding back much. Or at all for that matter...

**=AS=**

In the stands, Naruto was restless. Thanks to the memories from her future self, she knew exactly who and what Kabuto was. Even in this day and age, the traitorous bastard was extremely powerful Jonin rank opponent, who could hold his own with the likes of Hatake Kakashi. While the Kunochi suspected that Sasuke could take on Orochimary's agent head on and even win, he would have to reveal disturbing amounts of skill and raw power. Such amounts of them that a mere Genin shouldn't be able to possess.

Despite all that, she couldn't help but want for her teammate to simply crush the bastard. Kabuto had caused Konoha and herself too much pain and grief. He had killed too many comrades and close friends to bare thinking about. Naruto knew that if she was down on the arena, she would do whatever it took to crush the bastard.

Her eyes met Sasuke's who had turned his head her way. The match was yet to begin, with the last of the genin just getting their butts off the arena. Naruto sighed, her expression hardening. While she didn't consciously know it at the time, she had turned into a miny copy of her future Hokage self. There was a steel, unbending strength in her azure eyes. All she needed to do was give Sasuke a firm nod. No words of further exchange was needed. The Uchiha had been given his marching orders, for an act he was about to do anyway. Naruto could see it in his eyes. In his bearing. He was coiled and ready to strike. To kill.

**=AS=**

To Naruto's left, on a raised platform, was the Hokage's stand. Its main difference, besides a location giving a better view, was the fact that he actually had a chair to sit on. A comfortable one too. Which was a good thing considering that he had to wear the heavy robes and mask of his office on this official occasion. Something that did no good to his aching back. For despite all his power and skill, the Professor wasn't a young man. Slowly but surely his body was starting to betray him. He was hoping that a decent successor could be found before it was too late.

After all, he had retired once with a good reason.

However, those were thoughts for another time. Now he could see for himself how the youngsters, from perhaps one of the strongest generations Konoha ever saw were about to fare in single combat. Further, he was particularly curious the skills of two genin. One was the girl he saw as his granddaughter. The kid of his successor, and predecessor, the Fourth. The child who despite all his power he was unable to protect as well as he wished. Naruto and the "last loyal" Uchiha were the ones interesting him the most in this tournament.

Sarutobi was looking at the blond girl when he frowned. The way she suddenly stilled... Her expression became a mask he knew all too well. It was the same one he wore when ordering someone's death. For a moment he was afraid that the damn fox was influencing the child but he quickly disregarded that idea, because from his vantage point he could see her eyes. While cold and filled with anger, they were blue. With no hint of the madness he would expect if the Kyuubi was influencing the girl.

Even more interesting, was the one she was looking at. It was Sasuke.

Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise when she gave a curt nod to the Uchiha. An unsaid command, something he had done more than a few times with ANBU and Jonin who knew him well enough. The Professor's mind raced, running through the information he had about those two, especially since the Exam's start. Something had happened to those two withing the Forest of Death, and he didn't mean the meeting with Orochimaru.

The Hokage went from idea to idea, disregarding them as fast as he thought about them. He was sure that neither Naruto nor Sasuke were replaced by enemy infiltrators keen on damaging Konoha. Yet, neither of those two appeared to be the same persons who entered the Forest. Then there was Sasuke's apparent skill and power level. .. enough to fight Orochimaru to a standstill. At that age, even Itachi, who was a prodigy couldn't pull out such a stunt.

Sarutobi ran over his last conversation with Sasuke. The boy had acted like... someone wise far beyond his years... Nah, it couldn't be... Right?

Yet in the Ninja world almost everything was possible. Even bending the very fabric of space and time itself...

The Professor leaned forward in his chair, his whole attention focused on Naruto and Sasuke.

"Begin!" Hayate announced.

Instant later a halo of lighting Chakra engulfed Sasuke's whole body. The spectators gasped at the effortless display of raw power from someone so young.


End file.
